Aleister Black was released by WWE last month. Most pro wrestling fans who are aware of WWE’s typical 90 day non-compete clause did not expect to see Tommy End pop in AEW so soon, which is why his debut as Malakai Black on last night’s (July 7) Dynamite was such a shocking moment. The rumors mill suggests there may have been a clerical error in WWE over the non-compete clause that allowed him to appear on AEW television after waiting only 30 days, in which case...oops!
Just in case there was any confusion about Black’s status with AEW, they tweeted out confirmation that he is on the team:
Welcome to the team…#MalakaiBlack (aka @TommyEnd) is #AllElite pic.twitter.com/BF6DRYunli
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 8, 2021
One thing that stood out to me after Black knocked out Cody Rhodes and Arn Anderson is that Malakai’s rollout in AEW is already off to a much better start than another recently released WWE wrestler, Andrade El Idolo.
Andrade made his in-ring debut on last night’s Dynamite before Black’s appearance. I always make sure to have my finger on the pulse of pro wrestling fans worldwide (and by that I mean all of my dear readers here in the Cageside Seats community), and the general consensus seems to be that Matt Sydal actually came off looking better than Andrade did in their match. Andrade’s curious ring attire is definitely part of that assessment. Of course, Andrade made his debut in AEW last month in a brief appearance accompanied by Vickie Guerrero, and it wasn’t flashy at all compared to Malakai Black coming in and immediately taking out the golden boy of AEW.
How excited are you for Malakai Black’s future in AEW, and are you surprised that it’s taking Andrade a bit longer to get going?